Tobacco Smoke and Children with Asthma

How does tobacco smoke affect children with asthma?

Breathing second-hand smoke from tobacco (passive smoking)
is harmful to the lungs of children.

Children with asthma who live in a household with a smoker
have more breathing problems, need to take more medicines,
and have more emergency room visits than children who live
in smoke-free homes. Children who live in a household with
a smoker are also less likely to outgrow their asthma.

Tobacco smoke irritates the airways in several ways. Smoke
is made up of chemicals and very small pieces of ash that
stay in the air long after the cigarette, pipe, or cigar is
out. When a child with asthma breathes in these airborne
chemicals and ash, it causes the muscles around the airways
to squeeze tight, making it hard for the child to breathe.

Coughing, wheezing, and a tight feeling in the chest are
frequent complaints of children forced to breathe
second-hand smoke. The smell of smoke on clothes and furniture and
in the car can trigger an acute asthma attack for a child
with sensitive airways. Breathing second-hand smoke as a
child can affect the lungs throughout life.

No one should smoke in the home where an asthmatic child
lives - even when the child is not present. Do not allow
smoking in any cars that children ride in.

Think about using nicotine replacement gum or patches.
The nicotine gum or patches help you cut your craving
for nicotine. You can also ask your health care
provider for a prescription medicine, such as Zyban, to
help you quit.

Contact the Lung Association for help to stop smoking.
The number for the national office is 212/315-8700.

This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new health information becomes available. The
information is intended to inform and educate and is not a
replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or
treatment by a healthcare professional.